The Emoji Your Boomer Colleague Is Most Likely To Send You

The way we communicate in the office has come a long way from fax machines and long phone calls. Today, workers are more likely to make their feelings clear with the help of a much more modern communication—the emoji.

A new study by Mailsuite surveyed over 2,000 office workers across generations about their use of emoji at work.

While different generations have different preferences for emoji communications, for baby boomers, aged 60 to 78, the “thumbs-up” emoji (👍) is the most-popular choice, with over 52 percent of respondents in this age group using it. While younger colleagues tend to embrace a wider array of emoji, boomers are turning to this universal gesture as a way to signal approval, efficiency, and, perhaps, a hint of warmth.

The survey found that, unlike Generation Z, who embrace the emoji as an extension of their everyday language, boomers appear to use them more sparingly, sticking to those that feel familiar and universally understood.

While nearly 63 percent of Gen Z respondents admitted to using the “thumbs-up” in their work emails, boomers aren’t far behind, underscoring how this emoji has transcended generational gaps.

However, boomers draw the line at littering communications with emoji. The playful “face with tears of joy” (😂) or the exuberant “rolling on the floor laughing” emoji (🤣), staples among younger workers, are notably less popular with boomers. Only 12.5 percent of that generation use the “face with tears of joy,” compared to 22 percent of Gen X and nearly 20 percent of millennials. Similarly, the heart emoji (❤️) is rarely seen in boomer inboxes, with just 9 percent opting for it.

When it comes to why emoji are being used, the reasons across generations are pretty similar. Of all surveyed, 56 percent of workers said that they use emoji “to be friendly,” but a quarter of those surveyed felt that emoji can make professional emails seem unprofessional. This tension is perhaps why baby boomers prefer the safer territory of the “thumbs-up.”

There is, however, a generational divide in when it is appropriate to use emoji. While Gen Z and millennials are more likely to see emoji as an extension of their everyday communication styles—using them freely with colleagues, managers, and even clients— baby boomers remain more conservative. Only 13 percent of boomers said they would use an emoji in a communication with a new client, compared to 52 percent of Gen Z and 36 percent of millennials.

Younger generations are also more likely to drop an emoji into a conversation with senior management, with 53 percent of Gen Z using emoji in emails with managers, compared to just 25 percent of baby boomers.